Carburetor



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. J. COOPER.

GARBURETOR.

No. 427,225. Patented May 6, 1890.

m: NORRIS Perms co.. mow-um 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

JLJ. COOPER.

GARBURBTOR.

N0. 4Z7,2Z5.- Patented May 6, 1890.

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NITED STATES ATENT FFioE.

JAMES J. COOPER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CARBU RETO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,225, dated May 6, 1890.

Application filed August 29, 1889. Serial No. 322,286- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES J. COOPER, a cit-izen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carburetors and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in carburetors, and is de signed to furnish novel means for maintaining the incoming air or gas current to be carbureted at a temperature somewhat higher than the temperature of the hydrocarbons employed in the carburetor, while at the same time maintaining automatically the temperature of the latter at a point higher than that of the external air.

My invention further relates to certain details of construction and certain novel arrangements of parts, as are hereinafter described, and more specifically set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a vertical sectional view of the carburetor and its adjuncts. Fig. 1 represents an enlarged end view of one of the frames upon which the absorbent material of the carbureting-chambers is wound, and illustrates the method of winding the same. 2 represents a plan View taken upon a plane indicated by the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a vertical section of my improved construction of feed-receptacle for the carburetor, and Fig. 4: represents in section my preferred construction of a thermostatic air-regulator.

Similar letters and figures of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a vessel or receptacle for the reception of the liquid hydrocarbon to be used as the carburetingfiuid. The liquid hydrocarbon is fed into the receptacle 1 from time to time through the entrance-pipe 2 and finds its exit through the pipe 3, provided with a stop-cock 4 and a delivery-valve 5, said delivery-valve being located within a feed-chamber 6, adapted to be operated by a float 7 and its connections, as shown more fully in Fig. 3-. Beneath the receptacle 1 are located the chambers 8 9, communicating with each other by means of the pipe 10 and communicating with the feedchamber 6 by means of the pipes 11 and 12, said pipes being provided with stop-cocks 13 and 14, respectively. The chambers 8 and 9 are provided with cross-partitions extending from opposite sides of the chamber and alternating with each other, so as to form a sinuous or zigzag passage, (indicated more clearly by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.) Between the.

partitions are located the frames upon which the absorbent material to be employed in said carburetors is wound or stretched.

The absorbent material employed is preferably wool, and is Wound about and across the frame-work in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1, so as to present a large extent of surface to the incoming air or gas. The chamber 9 is provided with a central depression 15 for the collection of the heavier portions of the hydrocarbons, which heavier portions, being u'nsuitable for use as carbureting agents, are drawn off from time to time through the pipe 16 to some convenient receptacle outside the building. This obviates the necessity of using a pump for the removal of the heavy hydrocarbon, while at the same time there is no opportunity for the escape into the building ofnoxious and disagreeable odors from the carburetor.

The receptacles 1 8 9 and a further receptacle 17 are all surrounded and inclosed within an external jacket or housing 18, hermetically sealed, an intervening space being left between the interior of said housing and the exterior walls of the various receptacles for the circulation of a body of warm water. The warm water may conveniently be admitted into the intervening space referred to by means of a pipe 19,1eading from a float-chamber 20, having the usual overflow 21 and float 22, govering a valve 23, said valve being located at the end of a pipe 24:, extending from a float-chamber 25, fed from the street-main by means of the float-actuated valve 26. The fioat chamber 25 is of metal, adapted to be heated by a flame, as 27, or otherwise, so as to raise the water therein to the proper temperature.

The receptacle 17 consists of a hermetic ally-sealed vessel filled with air and provided with a series of pipes 28, open at both ends and extending entirely through the vessel, so as to permit the warm Water contained in the housing 18 to circulate freely through said pipes. A pipe 29 extends outwardly from the receptacle 17 through the housing to the external air, and is provided outside of the housing with a stop-cock 30. A pipe 31 extends to and communicates with the interior of a mercury cup or trap 32, provided with a bell-plunger 33, adapted to rise within the mercury contained in the outer shell 34. At its upper end the bell 33 is connected with an arm 35, pivoted at 36 and having at its opposite end a contact 37, adapted to make or break an electric circuit, according as the bell 33 descends or rises. In the electric circuit referred to is included the battery X and magnet Y, the magnet Y being provided with a spring-armature 38, pivoted at 39 and connected by suitable links with the drawing-off or waste cook 40, located in a pipe leading from the interior of the housing 18 to a drain or some other receptacle outside of the buildmg.

The purpose of the devices last described is to maintain the hydrocarbon within the receptacles 1 8 9, contained Within the housing, at a predetermined temperature. This is effected as follows: Warm water is admitted through the pipe 19 into the housing 18 at the temperature which it is desired to impart to the hydrocarbon within the carbureting and feeding chambers. During this operation the stop-cock 30 of the receptacle 17 is left open, and consequently the air within said receptacle 17 and within the mercury-cup connected with it will remain at normal pressure and will exert no influence upon the bell 33. Vhen the housing has been filled with warm water of the desired temperature, the stop-cock 30 is closed, thereby leaving a body of confined air within the receptacle 17, said air communicating with the interior of the mercurycup. The passage of the gas or air through the carbureting-chambers 8 9 during the operation of the carburetor will cause an absorption of heat, thereby lowering the temperature of said chambers and cooling correspondinglythewaterinthehousing18. Theair in the receptacle 17 will in like manner become cooled and will contract, thereby causing the bell 33 of the mercury-cup to be drawn downwardly by the partial vacuum due to the contraction or condensation of the air, and in its descent causing the pivoted contact-arm 35 to close the battery-circuit, energize the magnet Y, thereby attracting the spring-armature 38 and open the waste-cock 40, whereupon the cooled water in the housing 18 will begin to flow outward into the drain and a fresh supply of warm water will be admitted through the pipe 19 until the water in the housing 18 shall have again attained the normal temperature, whereupon the air in the receptacle 17 will expand, causing the bell 33 to rise. The battery-circuit will thereupon be broken, and the spring-armature 38, being no longer attracted by the magnet Y, will be drawn back by its spring, thereby closing the waste-cock 40 until the parts are again brought into action by a subsequent lowering of temperature of the carburetor. It will be evident that by the use of this device the water in the housing 18 may be kept automatically at any desired temperature, which temperature may be predetermined by leaving the stop-cock 30 open in the first instance until the required temperature is attained.

I have found that to adapt my carburetor to the best advantage for use with air 'or gas of different qualities and carbureting-liquids of different consistencies it is desirable to provide means for imparting to the gas or air a temperature slightly in excess of that prevailing in the'carburetor. For this reason I have adopted means forraising the gas or air to such higher temperature and maintaining it at said temperature automatically, said means to be independent of the means employed for maintaining the temperature of the hydrocarbon liquids within the carburetor. To this end I locate, preferably, upon the top of the housing 18 a vessel 41, connected to the float-chamber 25 by means of a pipe 42, and having a drawing-off pipe 43, provided with a waste-cock 44, said pipe 43 extending into the drain. 'Within the receptacle 41 extends in serpentine form the air or gas pipe 45, which pipe enters the lower carbureting-chamber 9, as shown in Fig. 1. Surrounding the receptacle is a casing 46, an intervening space being left between the receptacle 41 and the casing 46 for the reception of a body of confined air, and a pipe provided with a cook 47 being provided for opening or shutting off communication between said space and the outer air. A pipe 48 communicates with a mercury-cup similar in construction and function to that hereinbefore described, the mercury-cup 33 being connected with the pivoted arm 35, said arm serving as a circuit-closer for a divided circuit taken from the battery X, as shown in. Fig. 1. In said divided circuit is included the magnet Y, having a springactuated armature 38, pivoted at 39' and connected by suitable links to the waste-cock 44. It will be evident that by the use of this thermostatic apparatus the temperatu re of the gas passing through the serpentine pipe 45 may be automatically regulated independen tly of the temperature of the hydrocarbons Within the carbureting-chambers, the automatic regulation being effected in the same manner as hereinbefore described. The addition of this second thermostatic regulator enables me to determine beforehand a given temperature for said gas of a higher degree than that prevailing in the carburetor-chambers and to maintain said temperature automatically or to Vary it as circumstances may require without altering the temperature found most advisable for the carburetingchamber.

The general carbureting operation is as follows: The air or gas to be carbureted passes through the serpentine windings of the pipe 45, in which it attains the predetermined uniform temperature desired. It then passes downwardly into the lower carbureting-chamher 9 and through the zigzag passages of said carburetor, through the pipe 10 into the carbureting-chamber 8, and out into the exitpipe 49 to the holder. In its passage through the carbureting-chambers 8 and 9 it comes in contact with the wool suspended upon the frames between the partitions, said wool havin g taken up by capillary attraction the hydrocarbon liquid admitted into the chambers from the feeding-chamber 6 and becomes carbureted by such contact.

The carbureting-chambers Sand 9 receive their supply of carbureting-liquid from the receptacle 1 in the following manner: The hydrocarbon liquid passes by the pipe 3 through the valve 5, which is open when the float 7 is at or near the bottom of the chamber 6. The outflowingliquid from the valve 5 strikes the partition 50, which is preferably composed of a sheet of lead or other flexible material fashioned or formed into a spoon shape, as shown in Fig. 3, and connected at its forward end to the side of the feed-chamber 6, where it communicates with the pipe 11, leading into the carbureting-chamber 8. The hydrocarbon liquid entering the chamber 8 rises in said chamber until it reaches the opening of the pipe 10, through which the overflow descends into the carbureting-chamber 9. IVit-hin the carbureting-chamber 9 it rises to the level of the pipe 12 and passes through said pipe into the lower portion of the chamber 6, causing the float 7 to rise, closing the valve 5. It will be evident that as the level of the liquid falls in the carbureting-chambers the float 7 will in turn descend, reopening the valve 5 and automati-' cally renewing the supply of carburetingliquid.

The flexible partition 50,1 regard as a feature of considerable importance in my invention. Thus, when the gas or air may be sufficiently 'carbureted for the purpose of any particular use by coming into contact with thecarbureting-liquid only in the lower chamber 9, it will merely be necessary to bend the flexible partition 50 downwardly or to one side out of the pat-h of the liquid issuing from the valve 5. Said liquid will therefore pass directly to the bot-tom of the feed-chamber and through the pipe 12 into the chamber 9 without'entering the chamber 8. Moreover, the flexibility of the partition 50 enables it to be turned aside, so that the bottom of the feed-chamber may be readily accessible through the top opening 51, thereby permitting the float to be cleaned of any deposits that may have formed upon it and permitting the ready removal of anything which may have accidentally fallen to the bottom of the float-chamber during such times as the valve 5 is being cleaned or adjusted by the workman.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is 1. A carburetor consisting of an oil-supply tank 1, carbureting-chambers 8 9, communicating with each other by pipe 10, and a feedchamber 6, communicating with the oil-supply chamber by a pipe 3, having a float-operated valve 5, and with carbureting-chambers S 9 by pipes 11 12, said feed-chambers beingprovided with the flexible partition 50, substantially as described. I

2. The combination, with a carburetor, of means for heating the oil in the carburetor, a thermostat controlled by such oilheating means and arranged to maintain the oil at a predetermined temperature, a pipe for conveying air or gas into the carburetor, means for heating the air or gas prior to its entrance into the carburetor, and a second thermostat controlled by such air-heating means and arranged to maintain the air or gas entering the carburetor at a predetermined temperature slightly above that at which the oil in the carburetor is maintained, substantially as described.

3. The combination, means for heating the oil in the carburetor, an electric thermostat controlled by such oilheating means andarranged to maintain the oil at a predetermined temperature, a pipe for conveying air or gas into the carburetor, means for heating the air or gas prior to its entrance into the carburetor, a second electric thermostat controlled by such air-heating means and arranged to maintain the air or gas entering the carburetor at a predetermined temperature slightly above that at which the oil in the carburetor is maintained, and a battery common to both thermostats, the thermostats being in divided circuit from said battery, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES J. COOPER.

lVitnesses:

GEo. FREDK. KEENE, HENRY A. MCCARTHY.

with a carburetor, of 

